Department for Transport

Shared Spaces

lord holmes of richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will respond to the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation review into shared space; if so, when; and whether they will take steps to implement the recommendations of the review.

baroness sugg: The Government is clear that the needs of the whole community, including disabled people, must be considered by councils looking to introduce any public realm scheme, including shared space. We are grateful for the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation’s report and for their work on this subject. The report makes recommendations for further work, including on guidance. We will consider those recommendations, and set out how we will take them forward in due course. The report recommends updating Inclusive Mobility and the Guidance on the Use of Tactile Paving. The Department for Transport recently let a research contract to establish the scope of this revision. We anticipate this initial phase to be completed by the end of June.

Driving: Licensing

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to enable UK citizens who are resident in another EU member state and who have exchanged their UK driving licence for a licence in that state to exchange their current licence for a UK licence on the same conditions as their original UK licence.

baroness sugg: UK citizens living in an EU Member State who have exchanged their driving licence in that country can apply for a UK licence if they return to the UK. Provided they meet requirements including residency and medical standards, they can be granted a licence with the same entitlements.

Speed Limits: Greater London

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there has been a reduction in road traffic deaths in the first year of operation of a 20mph limit in those London boroughs that havereduced their speed limit from 30mph.

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have undertaken any research into the level of pollution produced by a new 20mphlimit in the London boroughs that have reduced the speed limit from 30mph; and, if so, what that research shows.

baroness sugg: Information on road traffic deaths in London boroughs is not collected by the Department for Transport in the form requested, because the Department does not hold information on which London boroughs have implemented 20mph limits, nor when the limits were installed. The Government has not conducted any specific research into levels of pollution produced by a new 20mph limit in the relevant London boroughs. The air quality plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations in the Greater London Urban Area published in July 2017 provides details of measured nitrogen dioxide concentrations in London between 2001 and 2015.

European Maritime Safety Agency

lord kinnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they have made, or are making, for the UK to continue full participation in the European Maritime Safety Agency after departure of the UK from the EU.

baroness sugg: The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including the implications for continued participation in the European Maritime Safety Agency.The UK’s continued participation with the Agency will be a matter for negotiations.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Radioactive Materials: Safety

lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are plans in place to empower independent bodies to produce legislation for specific issues in the UK relating to radiation protection and the control of radioactive substances; and if so, how they areproposing (1) to select such bodies, and (2) to fund them for undertaking such work.

lord henley: Government has no plans to empower independent bodies to produce legislation in relation to radiation protection and the control of radioactive substances.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Burma: Rohingya

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports from the Burma Human Rights Network of the discovery of mass graves of Rohingya in Inn Din village, Southern Maungdaw Township, and of BBC Burma reports that witnesses in Kanyin Tan village, southern Maungdaw Township, who reported that 28 bodies of Rohingya civilians had been discovered in a local cemetery.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are greatly concerned by the discovery of mass graves in Inn Din village and note the acknowledgement by the Burmese military of their responsibility.This is the first instance of the Burmese military admitting to wrongdoing in the violence in Rakhine state that has taken place since 25 August 2017. The Burmese military has committed to take action and we strongly urge them to follow an independent, due legal process and be transparent about the prosecution of the perpetrators. The Burmese authorities should also condemn such extrajudicial acts unequivocally. These cases underline the need for a full, credible and independent investigation into all reports of violence, including those reported in Kanyin Tan.

Burma: Press Freedom

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the authorities in Burma concerning the arrest of Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo along with five villagers from Inn Din village whom they had interviewed.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Embassy in Burma raised with the Burmese authorities our concerns about the treatment of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo in the hours after their arrest on 12 December. The Foreign Secretary publicly expressed his concerns on 14 December, and called for respect for freedom of speech and media freedoms. The Minister for Asia and the Pacific called for the two journalists' release on 15 December, whilst attending the UN Security Council in New York.The British Embassy issued a statement expressing deep concern following the charging of the journalists by the Burmese authorities on 10 January, at a court session attended by a member of the Embassy's staff. The British Ambassador reiterated this concern in his meeting the following day with the Minister for the Office of the State Counsellor.The UK will continue to take a close interest in this case and make representations as required.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Russia

baroness helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Russian-trained mercenaries are helping to establish a paramilitary unit in the entity of Republika Sprska in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our Ambassador discussed this issue with the Minister of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 16 January 2018. We understand that the Minister of Security has submitted evidence relating to a group known as Srpska Čast to the BiH Prosecutor's Office. The Government of Republika Srpska has denied reports that Srpska Čast is a paramilitary organisation. We expect a full investigation into the group's activities by the responsible law enforcement agencies, including those in the Republika Srpska.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Politics and Government

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what efforts they are making to popularise and to promote discussion within Bosnia-Herzegovina of (1) the April Package of 2006, and (2) the Prud Process of 2008.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The 2006 April Package and the 2008 Prud Process were ultimately unsuccessful attempts to change the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). At present, there is no readiness on the part of the BiH authorities to consider significant changes to the Constitution. International efforts are focused on supporting amendments to the BiH Election Law, in order to ensure that General Elections scheduled for October 2018 can be held and implemented, and on encouraging the adoption of socio-economic reforms to strengthen the economy and improve the lives of citizens in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: NATO

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent information they have about the official registration of state properties in Bosnia-Herzegovina, as a pre-requisite of progress towards NATO membership.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​In 2010, NATO Foreign Ministers invited Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to join the Membership Action Plan, but authorised its activation only when all immovable defence properties identified as necessary for future defence purposes had been officially registered as the state property of BiH, for use by the BiH Ministry of Defence. In 2016, the Presidency of BiH adopted a new Defence Review which determined that 57 properties are needed for use by the BiH Armed Forces. Some of these properties have been registered successfully. Work continues to overcome technical challenges in the Federation of BiH entity, and political obstacles in the Republika Srpska entity, in order to complete the registration process.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: EU Enlargement

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the European Commission has yet submitted an opinion on the application of Bosnia-Herzegovina for EU membership; and if not, when this is expected.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The European Commission has not yet submitted an opinion on the application of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) for membership of the EU, as it is waiting for the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina to submit its response to the EU's membership questionnaire. The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH announced on 16 January that all disputable issues have been resolved, and that BiH's response to the questionnaire will be submitted to the European Commission in the coming weeks.

Overseas Aid

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the UK's overseas development assistance to reduce poverty isspent by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: In 2016, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office spent 7.2 per cent of the UK’s overseas development assistance. Details are provided in Statistics on International Development 2017, published by the Department for International Development.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Overseas Students

lord norton of louth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the annual UK aid budget is devoted to funding students from developing nations to study at UK higher education institutions; and what plans there are to increase that proportion.

lord bates: During the financial year 2016-17, DfID programmes supported over 9,000 individuals through tertiary education scholarships, including through the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission.The Foreign & Commonwealth Office also funded 1,838 overseas students through Chevening Scholarships to study at UK universities in 2016-17.We regularly review our ODA spending to ensure that it is spent as effectively as possible and where need is greatest.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their announcement on 16 November 2016 concerning future UK support to the Occupied Palestinian Territories, how much funding they provided to the Palestinian Authority in (1) 2016–17, and (2) 2017–18; what was the reason for any significant change in the level of that funding; and whether there has been any shift in UK policy towards such funding.

lord bates: In 2016/17 we provided £25 million of financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA). Figures for 2017/18 will be published after the end of the financial year. UK financial assistance to the PA continues to be provided in accordance with the Government response, “Future UK support to the Occupied Palestinian Territories” published on 16 December 2016.

Greece: Refugees

lord touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government what specific steps they are taking to ensure that refugee children in Greece are treated in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and enjoy the Convention rights to survival, protection and education.

lord bates: The Greek government is leading on support to refugee children. The UK contributes to these efforts via the European Union who has allocated more than €1 billion of funding to Greece to help it deal with the migration crisis. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Home Office are in frequent contact with the Greek authorities, both at official and ministerial level, to discuss the situation for migrants including children in Greece. The UK is also providing support to help the Greek authorities, European Asylum Support Office (EASO) and the European Commission deal with flows of migrants, including by deploying experts and interpreters on the Greek islands as well as specialists to the EU Commission team in Athens. Further, as announced by the Home Secretary on 19 January this year, the Government has amended the eligibility date for section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016, to ensure that Greece is able to transfer some of the most vulnerable unaccompanied migrant children to the UK.

Burma: Rohingya

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in relation to plans to return the Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to Burma, (1) how many refugees they estimate will be affected; (2) when the plans will be implemented; and (3) what assessment have they made of the legality of these arrangements under international law governing the protection of refugees.

lord bates: More than 655,000 refugees have arrived in Bangladesh since August 2017, and approximately 100 Rohingya are still crossing per day. The governments of Bangladesh and Burma announced on January 15th all these refugees would be repatriated within two years, initially at a rate of 1,500 per week. The UK's position is that any returns must be done voluntarily, in safety and with dignity, and people must be well informed. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has stated the necessary conditions for returns are not in place, and the UK continues to push both governments to ensure returns are in line with international law.

UNRWA: Finance

baroness helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they are proposing to other UN Relief Works Agency donors to meet the shortfall in funding for the agency in the light of the decision of the government of the United States to reduce its support.

lord bates: The UK has engaged in the recent UNRWA Advisory Commission meetings which include the US, all main donors and host Governments to discuss UNRWA’s continuity of services. The UK has so far provided around £50 million in 2017/18, based on the Agency meeting rigorous performance indicators, and is one of the largest donors to UNRWA. We contributed more than expected for this financial year to help manage UNRWA’s funding gap in December.

Department for Education

Schools: Vocational Guidance

lord aberdare: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide advice and support to schools in order to minimise the burden on those schoolsof providing good-quality careers advice.

lord aberdare: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they envisage that the funding committed for careers leaders in their new careers strategy will be allocated to schools; what schools will be able to use that funding for; and whetherschools will be (1) expected, and (2) permitted, to take on new hires for these roles.

lord agnew of oulton: The department has taken a number of steps to ensure we minimise the burden on schools to provide good quality careers advice. The government’s careers strategy, published in December 2017, set out a package of support for schools. This includes: investing £4 million into supporting at least 500 schools and colleges to train their careers leader; new careers hubs in areas of most need in the country, backed by £5 million funding; and trialling careers activities in primary schools, backed by £2 million funding. The department is working closely with The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) who will have a broader remit to support schools to deliver all eight Gatsby Benchmarks of good careers provision. From September 2018, a named careers leader should lead the careers programme in every secondary school. The vast majority of schools already have a careers leader and it is a matter for schools to decide whether they wish to take on new hires for this role. Our aim is that the careers leader should have the expertise and influence to co-oridinate the careers programme across all eight Gatsby benchmarks. The department is working with the CEC and the Gatsby Foundation to develop the training for careers leaders. Further details about how schools and colleges can access funding to train their careers leader will be released in the coming months. The department published revised the attached statutory guidance, ‘Careers guidance and access for education and training providers’ in January 2018 which sets out what schools should do to meet the eight Gatsby Benchmarks and the support available for schools. This was developed with input from educational representative bodies.



Careers guidance 
(PDF Document, 511.32 KB)

Apprentices: Taxation

lord aberdare: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to encourage more organisations that pay the apprenticeship levy to use the funds thereby available to them to offer apprenticeships themselves.

lord aberdare: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the falling number of apprenticeship starts, according to the latest published statistics; and what action they plan to take to remedy this.

lord aberdare: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the progress made towards meeting their target of three million apprenticeship starts in England by 2020; and what further action, if any, they plan to take to achieve that target.

lord agnew of oulton: Over 90 per cent of employer PAYE schemes with larger levy declarations (of over £150,000) have registered an account on the apprenticeship service. Feedback from levy payers has shown they plan to increase their demand for apprenticeships. We have made significant changes to the way we build a skilled workforce and in light of this it would be premature to draw definitive conclusions on the basis of the limited data available. We fully expect there to be a period of adjustment while employers decide how to maximise the opportunities these reforms present them. The department is supporting employers to help them plan their future programmes. This includes account management for over 1,000 of the largest levy-paying employers. We have recently announced initial awards totalling around £485 million to hundreds of providers across the country to offer apprenticeship training to non-levy paying employers. We are also undertaking a wider range of ongoing communications and engagement activities to encourage the take-up of apprenticeships. A new phase of our communications campaign started on 26 January 2018, to encourage employers to offer high quality apprenticeship opportunities and to promote these to potential apprentices.

Education: Commonwealth

lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Education will be representing HM Government at the meeting in Fiji of Commonwealth Education Ministers in mid February in preparation for the Commonwealth Summit in April 2018 in London; and whether the purpose of that meeting is to strengthen Commonwealth cooperation between universities and schools for the benefit of young people.

lord agnew of oulton: It has not yet been decided who will represent Her Majesty’s Government at the Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers. However, we hope to confirm attendance shortly, subject to parliamentary business. The purpose of the Conference is to strengthen cooperation across the Commonwealth for the benefit of young people of all ages. A key objective of this year’s conference is to address and define mechanisms through which education systems across the Commonwealth can enable sustainable development, and address major global challenges, such as climate change. This is a topic, which is of importance to young people across all member states.

Vocational Guidance

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they propose taking forward their policy paperCareers Strategy: making the most of everyone’s skills and talents.

lord agnew of oulton: The government published the Careers Strategy: making the most of everyone’s skills and talents on 4 December 2017. The strategy sets out a long term plan to build the best careers system, that will help young people and adults choose the right path for them. This will give all people the best possible start to move into a job or training that enables them – whatever their background or wherever they live – to have a fulfilling life. Since the publication of the strategy, officials have continued discussions regarding the delivery of the proposals with stakeholders and delivery partners, including The Careers & Enterprise Company and The Gatsby Charitable Foundation. Progress has already been made, with the publication of the revised statutory guidance for schools, ‘Careers guidance and access for education and training providers’ (attached). This sets out how schools can meet the Gatsby benchmarks, a standard of excellence that government is adopting. The revised guidance also explains the new statutory duty on schools, to allow providers access to pupils to inform them about approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships. Revised guidance for colleges will be published shortly.



Careers guidance 
(PDF Document, 511.32 KB)

Schools: Vocational Guidance

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many schools currently use Gatsby Benchmarks to improve their careers provision.

lord agnew of oulton: The department does not hold the number of schools that use the Gatsby Benchmarks. However, The Careers & Enterprise Company’s ‘State of the Nation’ report (attached) highlighted the results of over 500 schools that self-evaluated their careers provision against the Gatsby Benchmarks. Around half of these schools were achieving at least two of the eight benchmarks, although a fifth of schools were not achieving any of the benchmarks.The government published the attached ‘Careers Strategy: making the most of everyone’s skills and talents’ on 4 December 2017. As we set out in the strategy, schools and colleges will continue to be responsible for making sure that their students can access independent careers guidance. We will use the eight benchmarks of good careers guidance, developed by The Gatsby Charitable Foundation, to set a standard of excellence for schools and colleges to follow. To support this, we have asked The Careers & Enterprise Company to take on a more ambitious role by coordinating support for schools and colleges across all the Gatsby Benchmarks.The careers strategy and our updated statutory guidance for schools both promote Compass, a free online tool for schools to evaluate and monitor improvements in their careers provision against the benchmarks.



State of a Nation
(PDF Document, 1.97 MB)




Careers Strategy
(PDF Document, 566.6 KB)

Schools: Data Protection

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional support and resources will be provided to maintained schools, free schools and academies to ensure that they are able to comply fully with theGeneral Data Protection Regulation rules when those rulescome into force in May.

lord agnew of oulton: The Department for Education is working with a small network of school sector representatives to identify the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) related topics that schools face. These then form the basis of communications setting out GDPR preparation support within the context and language of the education sector. In July, the former Secretary of State the right hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening) announced an additional £1.3 billion for schools over the next two years, so that total funding for the core schools budget will rise from almost £41 billion this year to £43.5 billion in 2019-20. This will mean that overall schools’ funding will be protected, in real terms per pupil, over the next two years. The introduction of the national funding formula, means that for the first time that total will be distributed based on the individual needs and characteristics of every school in the country. It is for each school to determine the use of the resources available to it, in order to raise the attainment of all its pupils, and to meet all its statutory responsibilities.

Apprentices: Care Leavers

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that care leavers' entitlement to a local authority bursary when attending university is extended to care leavers undertaking an apprenticeship.

lord agnew of oulton: Care leavers do not generally have access to the family support networks that benefit other young people. It is therefore important that local and central government provide additional support to care leavers in their role as corporate parents. The cross-government care leaver strategy - ‘Keep on Caring’ (see attached), sets out the additional support the state provides to help care leavers achieve better outcomes. It is important to distinguish between higher education and apprenticeships. Apprenticeships are paid jobs with training, allowing apprentices to earn while they learn. Apprentices are not required to pay for their training or assessment. The government is creating an apprenticeship system that is available to a wide range of people, including those with experience of care. As we continue to reform the apprenticeships system we will keep our funding for apprentices with additional needs under review. 



Keep On Caring 
(PDF Document, 713.95 KB)

Grammar Schools

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to prevent grammar schools opening annexes within another local authority area; and if so, what plans they have to do so.

lord agnew of oulton: The legislative ban on opening new grammar schools remains in place, however, the law allows the expansion of existing schools. Grammar schools, like all other types of schools, are able to propose an expansion of their school site. Any proposal to expand onto a satellite site in another local authority area, would need to demonstrate that it would be a genuine expansion and would not constitute a new school.

Grammar Schools

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to prevent grammar schools opening within local authorities where grammar schools do not currently exist; and if so, what plans they have to do so.

lord agnew of oulton: Current legislation prohibits the establishment of new grammar schools, so it would not be possible for a grammar school to open in a local authority where grammar schools do not exist.

Ministry of Justice

Woodhill Prison

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish the report of the former prisons and probation ombudsman on deaths at HMP Woodhill with their response to that report; and if so when.

lord keen of elie: We hope to publish Stephen Shaw’s independent professional advice on the prevention of self-inflicted deaths and self-harm at HMP Woodhill on the website of the Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody at the earliest opportunity.The report makes no recommendations, and as a result there is no Government response.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Private Rented Housing: Standards

baroness eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce a national minimum space standard for housing, especially in the private rented sector.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: All dwellings in England, including those in the Private Rented Sector, are subject to the overcrowding standards in Part X of the Housing Act 1985. In particular, section 326 provides minimum space standards for bedrooms.As part of the reforms to houses in multiple occupation (HMO) licensing, the Government also proposes to make minimum sleeping room standards a mandatory condition of HMO licences. This will make it easier for local authorities to deal with overcrowding in HMOs. We intend to introduce this shortly, subject to parliamentary approval.

Affordable Housing: Construction

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what methods they are using to enable Local Housing Authorities to multiply their annual production of affordable dwellings.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: We have listened to local authorities who asked for additional borrowing to deliver more housing. We recently announced that we will raise the Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap by a total of up to £1 billion in areas of high affordability pressure, for local authorities who are ready to start building new homes. Local authorities will be able to bid for increases in their caps from 2019-20 to 2021-22.We have also announced that we are providing an additional £2 billion, taking the affordable homes programme 2016-21 to £9 billion overall. This is to deliver more affordable housing for social rent in areas of acute affordability pressure, for which local authorities will be able to bid.Additionally, we are supporting local authorities to build more homes through a longer term rent deal that provides a stable investment environment.Together these measures will help to deliver the new generation of council house building that the Prime Minister announced recently.

Planning

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the specific responsibilities and accountabilities of the architectural adviser appointed, in March 2017, to assist the Government Chief Planner; and what key objectives are contained in the current work plan of the adviser.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The architectural adviser you refer to is a former chairman of an architectural practice, with over 30 years of experience of the housing sector.The adviser is seconded to the Department to advise on design and delivery within the planning and housing supply teams and reports to the Chief Planner. The adviser assists with the drafting and implementation of the action plan for new initiatives to raise design quality. This includes embedding quality in new government programmes, showcasing good practice in design and community engagement and supporting awards programmes. This also includes research that supports design quality and promotion and advocacy in the industry generally.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Mefloquine

the countess of mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Surgeon General of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces recognises the chronic neurotoxic effects on members of the Armed Forces and Veterans from the administration of mefloquine (Lariam); and whether they will be addressing the problems caused by those effects in the near future.

the countess of mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend that an addendum should be added to the Defence Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy Report 2017–2022 in order to address the effects of neurotoxicity from mefloquine; if so, when it will be published; and if not, why not.

earl howe: Mefloquine is effective in the prevention and treatment of malaria and is licensed for use by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, which regulates medication in the UK. Bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Malaria Prevention, the World Health Organization and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to include mefloquine as an option for malaria chemoprophylaxis. The current product information for mefloquine states that neuropsychiatric adverse reactions may occur during treatment and includes warnings and precautions to minimise these risks. It also states that such adverse reactions may persist for months, or longer, even after discontinuation of the drug. It has not been established, however, that such adverse reactions may be permanent. For these reasons, there are no plans to add an addendum to the Defence Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy Report 2017-2022.

HMS Ocean

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 17 January (HL4577) concerning the planned decommissioning of HMS Ocean in 2018, whether an agreement has now been made to sell HMS Ocean to the government of Brazil; if so, for how much; andwhat assessment they have made of the value for money of undertaking a £65 million refit of HMS Ocean over 15 months, as announced on 12 December 2012, which was due to be completed less than four years before that ship is to be decommissioned.

earl howe: Discussions with the Government of Brazil about the sale of HMS OCEAN are ongoing, but no decisions have been made.The refit included scheduled maintenance, defect rectification, obsolescence management, and mandatory work to revalidate the ship's safety and environmental certification to comply with changes to legislation, as well as a capability upgrade.The refit was essential for HMS OCEAN to continue to participate in operations around the world in support of UK interests.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Fisheries

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what quantity offish and fish products was (1) imported from, and (2) exported to, (a) the EU, and (b) elsewhere, in 2016; and what tonnages of quotas have been sold by the UK fishing industry to fishermen based in other EU member states to allow them to fish within UK waters.

lord gardiner of kimble: In 2016, the UK imported 252,000 tonnes of fish and fish preparations (excluding products such as oils, meals and flours) from EU member states (worth £1,044 million), and exported 324,000 tonnes of fish to EU member states (worth £1,165 million). The UK imported 479,000 tonnes of fish and fish preparations (excluding products such as oils, meals and flours) from the rest of the world, including the EFTA countries (worth £2,029 million) and exported 117,000 tonnes (worth £475 million). Further details on the UK’s trade in fish products can be found in the Marine Management Organisation’s UK Sea Fisheries Statistics 2016 at GOV.UK. Sales of fish quotas allocated to member states are not permitted either between national governments or the fishing industries. However, quota can be exchanged for quota from another member state through international quota swaps. While these can be initiated by the fishing industries themselves, they are approved and enacted by the fishery administrations within each member state. In 2016, a total of 42077.9 tonnes of UK fishing quota was swapped out to other member states in exchange for 51321.3 tonnes of fishing quota coming in to the UK. UK quota is linked to the vessels it is allocated to. Some UK registered vessels are foreign-owned. All UK registered vessels, including foreign-owned vessels, which catch quota stocks must meet “economic link” requirements. The aim of these is to make sure that the UK gains genuine economic benefits from UK quota. They require, for example, most of a vessel’s landings to be in the UK, most crew members to be UK resident or for other benefits to accrue to UK coastal communities.

Home Office

Asylum: Appeals

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of asylum appeals were successful in (1) 1990, (2) 1995, (3) 2000, (4) 2005, (5) 2010, and (6) 2015.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office publishes data on the number of asylum appeals received and determined, broken down by outcome, in the quarterly Immigration Statistics release. The latest figures are available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2017Table as_14 in the asylum tables (volume 4) contains annual breakdowns of the number of appeals between 2007 and 2016. The table is attached for further reference.Data prior to 2007 can be found in the national archives:http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110218143229/http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbarchive.htmlData for 1990 are not available as the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993 came into force on 26 July 1993.



Table as_14 - Asylum Tables (vol 4) 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 319.24 KB)

Asylum

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government which local authorities have accepted asylum seekers in each of the last five years.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office publishes quarterly figures on the number of asylum seekers housed in dispersed accommodation, including under Section 95, by local authority in the Immigration Statistics release, in table as_16q and 17q in volume 4 of the Asylum see attached data tables. These are also available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-july-to-september-2017/list-of-tables#asylum



Tables as_16q and 17q - Vol 4 Asylum Tables 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 3.14 MB)

Asylum: Travel

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what payment, if any, is available from Her Majesty's Government to help asylum seekers with travel costs.

baroness williams of trafford: The level of the cash allowance provided to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute is reviewed regularly to ensure that it is sufficient to cover their essential living needs.The report on the 2017 review which contains consideration of the access to travel for asylum seekers has been published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-on-review-of-cash-allowance-paid-to-asylum-seekers



Report on Review of Cash Allowance - 2017
(PDF Document, 856.43 KB)

HM Treasury

Plastics

lord lisvane: To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the timing of their consultation on means to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic straws; and when policy proposals are expected to follow.

lord bates: The government’s proposed call for evidence will explore whether changes to the tax system or charges could help reduce single-use plastic waste. This will look at all single-use plastics, not just plastic straws. The call for evidence will be launched next month. The government will outline how it plans to proceed once we have analysed the responses to this call for evidence.

Cabinet Office

EU Budget: Contributions

lord forsyth of drumlean: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with the ONS regarding the reasons for the disparity between the 2015 Pink Book, which stated that the gross UK contribution to the EU budget was £19.1 billion, and the 2016 Pink Book, which offered no equivalent figure.

lord young of cookham: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply and I will place a copy of their letter in the Library of the House.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 121.15 KB)

Acts

lord norton of louth: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord Young of Cookham on 16 January (HL4562) and byLord McNally on 14 June 2010 (HL Deb col WA77), why it was possible for data on uncommenced provisions of Acts of Parliament to be provided for the period from 1997 to 2010 but not for the period since.

lord young of cookham: The Cabinet Office does not hold a central list of uncommenced primary legislation. Given the interest in this topic amongst Noble Lords, I have asked my officials to draw up a note on this issue and place it in the libraries in both Houses of Parliament.

General Election 2015

lord tyler: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total number of eligible electors on the register, resident outside the UK, for the May 2015 General Election; and what proportion of them voted.

lord tyler: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total number of eligible electors on the register, resident in other EU Member States, for the May 2015 General Election; and what proportion of them voted.

lord tyler: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total number of eligible electors on the register, resident outside the UK, for the EU referendum on 23 June 2016; and what proportion of them voted.

lord tyler: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total number of eligible electors on the register, resident in other EU Member States, for the EU referendum on 23 June 2016; and what proportion of them voted.

lord tyler: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total number of eligible electors on the register, resident outside the UK, for the June 2017 General Election; and what proportion of them voted.

lord tyler: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total number of eligible electors on the register, resident in other EU Member States, for the June 2017 General Election; and what proportion of them voted.

lord young of cookham: The Government does not hold central records of the total number of eligible electors on the register who reside outside of the UK, where overseas they reside, and the proportion of them who voted.The Electoral Commission has produced reports into the administration of the 2017 and 2015 General Election and the 2016 EU referendum. The reports contain information on the number of overseas electors but does not state where they reside. The reports can be found here: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/our-work/publications/election-and-referendum-reports



May 2015 Elections Report 
(PDF Document, 603.15 KB)




2016 EU referendum Report 
(PDF Document, 935.27 KB)




The administration of 2017 General elections 
(PDF Document, 381.76 KB)

Department for International Trade

Overseas Students

lord norton of louth: To ask Her Majesty's Government, what plans they have to increase funding for promoting campaigns to encourage students in overseas countries to study in the UK.

baroness fairhead: The Study UK: Discover You (“Study UK”) campaign led by the British Council, aims to promote UK higher education, attract the brightest and best students to choose the UK and support UK universities in their international objectives. Study UK is a core component of the government’s GREAT Britain campaign (“GREAT”), which showcases the very best of what our whole nation has to offer in order to encourage the world to visit, study and do business with the UK. Study UK uses digital and face to face activity in key markets to promote the quality and distinctiveness of the UK education offer in the highly competitive international market for globally mobile students. The campaign also promotes the success of international alumni of British universities in their countries and promotes other forms of UK study – for instance, by encouraging international students to study online courses provided by UK universities. Activity to encouraged overseas students to study UK courses on the online FutureLearn platform led to over 100,000 extra enrolments by overseas students on MOOCs (“Massive Open Online Courses”) provided by UK universities in 2016/17. Students enrolled from 124 different countries. This year, the programme has driven more than 60,000 such new enrolments to date.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Gaming Machines

lord foster of bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, in a report published by bacta on 10 January, that if the maximum stake of fixed odds betting terminals were reduced from £100 to £2 the reduction in annual Gross Gambling Yield to high street betting shops would be £335 million; and how they reached the conclusion in their consultation on proposals to reduce such stakes that that reduction would be £639 million.

lord ashton of hyde: The attached Impact Assessment was published with the consultation on proposals to changes to gaming machines and social responsibility measures on 31 October and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-proposals-for-changes-to-gaming-machines-and-social-responsibility-measures. This sets out the assumptions we made in arriving at our estimates of potential reductions in gross gambling yield in high street betting shops, and acknowledged that the modelling was sensitive to changes in this set of assumptions. The CEBR report provided a range of alternative assumptions to arrive at their estimates. We will consider the CEBR report and other relevant information submitted as part of the consultation before arriving at final decisions and an updated impact assessment will be published with the Government’s response. 



Impact assessment 
(PDF Document, 435.94 KB)




Consultation on changes to Gaming Machines
(PDF Document, 928.38 KB)

Palace of Westminster: Repairs and Maintenance

lord inglewood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the appropriateness of the Heritage Lottery Fund contributing to the cost of Restoration and Renewal of the Palace of Westminster.

lord ashton of hyde: The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is a grant giving body, and distributes the heritage share of the National Lottery Fund for good causes to successful applicants. Any application to support the restoration of the Palace of Westminster would need to be considered alongside the other applications made to HLF’s programmes.